Access Now v. Southwest Airlines: A Net Loss for Web Users with Disabilities

Damon P. S. Andrew
John Grady

The Internet has grown faster than all other forms of electronic technology and all other mediums of communication (Berthon, Pitt, & Watson, 1996). The Harris Poll indicated the number of adult Internet users in the US has steadily risen over the past nine years from 17.5 million in 1995 to 156 million in 2004 (Taylor, 2004). Indeed, while only 9% of U.S. adults were online in 1995, 73% were online in 2004. Studies have shown that some of the most common activities among those who use the Internet “often?or “very often?include getting information about products and services (41%), getting information about hobbies or special interests (36%), surfing the web to explore new and different sites (32%), and making travel plans or arrangements (15%) (Taylor, 2004). The aforementioned activities should be of interest to the sport marketer who prepares Web site content for sport organizations. Recent research has indicated that sport marketers have yet to tap the full potential of web sites as an effective marketing tool (Beech, Chadwick, & Tapp, 2000; Brown, 2003; Kahle & Meeske, 1999) despite the numerous associated benefits cited by sport practitioners (Casper & Finley, 2004).